Category: Getting Started

There’s something about parenthood that makes us think about our lives and whether they are what we want them to be. A big part of this is taking our careers into account and whether we’re doing the right job for us. Up until the birth of your child you most probably thought of your job simply as a way to earn an income. However, now that you’ve got a little person who you are totally and completely in love with, the chances are that you’re not keen on returning to a job that you don’t love. Why would you spend time away from your child to go to a job that you don’t enjoy doing?

Studies have shown that a lot of women choose to make a career change after having a baby as they start to contemplate leaving their little one with a childminder just to go to a job that they hate. So if you’re contemplating changing a career post-baby, it can definitely be done – lots of new parents have done it. However, before you inform your boss that you plan on resigning, it’s important to make sure that a career change is the right choice for you. The last thing you want to do is quit your job only to find that your new career path isn’t what you thought it would be.

With that in mind, below are some tips and advice for changing career post-baby. Have a read and take these on board, and you can ensure that you know what to expect when it comes to making a career change.

Be sure it’s what you want

A lot of women feel trapped by their career after having a baby, wishing that they could stay at home for longer with their child. It’s this feeling that causes a lot of us to wonder whether our jobs are actually worth leaving our child for. So we start to think about the type of role that would be worth leaving our kids for, which leads us to consider a career change. However, before you make any decisions, it’s important to ensure that a career change is really what you want. It could be that you are just worried about leaving your child, not that you actually want to change careers. Take some time to think about this and whether you would be happier to leave your child if you had a different career. If the answer is no, then it’s probably best to stick at your current job – leaving your baby will be hard at first but in time you will adjust. However, if the answer is yes, then a new job could be the answer.

Don’t rush things

Once you have decided to make a career change, it’s tempting to hand in your notice. However, it’s silly to rush the process, especially as there’s no guarantee that you will get a new job right away. So before your rush into making a mistake, take the time to think things through. Spend some time doing some research into the career path that you want to go down and find out what you will need to do to get started. For researching your dream role, the internet is a vital resource. Use career’s websites to read up on the role, salary, and what you will need to land it. If you want to learn more about what it would involve, perhaps you could try and contact someone who’s already working in that type of role. That way you could have a chat to them, ask them questions, and see what the role is actually like, this should help to give you an idea of whether it’s the right role for you.

Know what your strengths are

Admittedly, there are some career paths that qualifications are crucial for, but there are others that you can work your way up in. Take marketing, for instance; you don’t necessarily need a degree to work in marketing. Instead, if you already have skills in this area, you may be able to work your way up by working as part of a marketing company, learning on the job. Roles that don’t require training can be good because they are easier to get into and won’t require you to spend time training. However, to find these types of roles you need to know what your strengths are, and you need to have experience in your chosen area. Even if you are going down a career path that requires training – something that we’ll discuss more below, it’s important to know your strengths. For instance, say you fancy working in the media, it’s important to know where your skills and interests lie. This is important so that you are able to specialize in one area and up your chances of career success.

Understand that you may need to retrain

It’s important to understand that part of changing careers is that you may need to take some time out to retrain. Of course, this depends on what career path you want to go down. However, if you are hoping to do something that requires a certain set of skills, such as working in midwifery or another area of medicine, you will need to be willing to undertake training. This may mean attending a college or university, or you may be able to study from home, depending on the type of qualification that you need. The good news is that should you need to retrain, you should be able to get help covering the cost of retraining. There are various loans and grants available; it’s just a case of working out what you are eligible for. To do this, the best thing to do would be to consult a financial advisor, as they should be able to explain what your options are in terms of finance.

Know that it will take time

It’s important to understand that changing career paths will take time. Even if you don’t need to undertake any qualifications, changing career paths will always take time. You will need to spend time getting any skills that you lack, gaining relevant experience, and then applying for jobs. It’s also important to understand that like with any role; you will need to work your way up. Changing career paths isn’t something that is quick and easy to do, it will be time-consuming. However, if your new career will make you happier and more willing to leave your child, it’s something that’s worth taking the time to do. Don’t let the time it will take to get to where you want to be, put you off from achieving your dreams.

Find a good childminder

If you are going to be able to focus on your new career path, you are going to need to find a good childminder. As a parent, it’s important to find someone who you like and are able to trust, so that when it comes to leaving your child with them, you feel happy and comfortable. It will never be easy saying goodbye to your little one, but if you are heading to a job that you love, it will be easier. If you aren’t keen on leaving your little one with someone that you don’t know, consider asking a friend or relative to look after them. The chances are that if your little one is with their grandparents, aunt, or another relative, you will feel better about leaving them.

Pick a career that’s family-friendly

Last but not least, if you are going to swap to a new career, then it’s a good idea to make sure that it’s a career that is family-friendly. This means choosing a career path that won’t require you to work constantly and will offer you a good balance in terms of your work life and your personal life. It’s also a good idea to look at roles that will give you the weekends off, so that when your little one starts school, etc. you are able to be at home with them on the weekends. For this reason, office-based roles tend to be good. Especially roles that only require you to work nine until five each day, as that way you can drop your child to school before starting work. Then after school, you can either enroll them in a kid’s club or use a childminder to take care of them until your finish work.

So there you have it, everything that you need to know about starting a new career after having a baby. Although it might not seem like a good time to swap careers, believe it or not, it’s one of the most common times for a career change. This is because a lot of new parents decide that if they are going to spend time away from their little ones, it needs to be to go to a job that they love. If you’re feeling the same way, hopefully, the tips above will help you to decide whether a career change is right for you.

There are hundreds of clothing businesses already out there, so you’re going to need to set yourself apart. Use the following tips to launch yours:

Make a Business Plan

The first thing you need to do is make a business plan. This might seem tedious and long winded at first, but it’s very important if you want to succeed in the business world. In your business plan you need to talk about what you’re going to be doing, your marketing strategy, exit plans, and anything else that may be relevant.

Decide on a Niche

You’ll probably be more successful if you launch a niche clothing business, rather than a clothing business specialising in everything. You could choose to sell girl’s clothes, men’s clothes, clothes for tall people, etc. If you can be a little more specific, you’ll get a more targeted audience and likely experience more success.

Find Reliable Suppliers

You’re going to need to find reliable suppliers to send you your clothing – that is, unless you plan on making everything yourself. You’ll need to pick the right sort of clothing to suit your brand, and things you think that people will buy. This is a case of trial and error. You’ll likely make some mistakes, but the important thing is you learn from them and keep going if you want this to work. You’ll need to have money in the bank to buy your first lot of stock from suppliers too!

Choose Your Platform Carefully

The platform you sell on can have a lot to do with your success as a business. Make sure you choose the platform you think you’ll find your niche audience on. You could use a site like eBay, or create your own ecommerce site. Whichever you feel will be more beneficial. You could even open up a store in person if you’re confident you’re in the right area for it.

Helpful software will allow you to keep track of stock, sales, losses, and anything else that may be relevant. Retail management software is a must in the retail industry, but there are plenty of other things you can look into too.

Build a Strong Online Marketing Campaign

Building a strong online marketing campaign is key to getting your business off the ground and spreading the word. Without an online marketing campaign, your audience won’t even know that you’re there.

Hire the Right Staff

Eventually, you may need staff to help you. Make sure you take the time to hire the right people, those who share the same views as you and can bring something useful to the table. Never cut corners when hiring staff!

Focus on Customer Service

Focus on customer service to make sure each and every customer comes back to you. It isn’t just about the product they purchase from you, it’s the entire experience. Make sure you’re giving them a positive experience that makes them want to come back.

Keep going even when times get hard and you’ll make a success of your clothing business!

When it comes to starting and launching a business, you need to use your brain. There are certain elements you’ve got to sort out before you can launch. You need to make sure you get the vitals in order so you can look forward to success. The will provide a solid foundation on which you can build your business. These are some of the crucial factors you’ll need to sort out when getting your startup started.

Financial Backing

As any entrepreneur will tell you, financial backing is crucial when you’re trying to launch a business. You might have accumulated money independently, or you might have investors supporting you. There’s always the option of taking out a loan as well. Whatever means you use to get the financing you need to sort this out before anything. Proper financial backing is imperative for getting your company off the ground and helping it thrive.

Plan for the Future

One thing you can bet all successful businesses have in common is that they all plan for the future. And you need to make sure you do this with your business. Sure, it’s crucial to plan for short term success and operation. But you need to have the bigger picture in mind as well. A company thrives on careful planning and preparation. And if you want to get your startup started in the best possible way you need to plan. You should have an idea in mind of what you want to do before you even launch the company.

Set Up an Office

No matter how small your startup is, you’re going to need to have an office of some kind. All businesses need to have a base of operations where they can conduct business. And this is the way you need to view the office. Make sure include everything in your office that needs to be there. This means making sure you have furniture and computers. You’ve got to get air conditioning installed by professionals, and Wi-Fi put in place. It needs to be a place where you have everything you need to run your company successfully.

Promote Yourself

We all know how crucial it is to make your presence felt in the business world. If you want to build a successful brand, you’re going to need to get out there and make a name for yourself. Promotion and marketing are your business bread and butter. As an entrepreneur, you need to understand and appreciate the importance of these. That’s why you have to come up with strategies and ideas that will help you promote yourself. There are so many different ways you can do this; you just need to think outside the box.

These are all crucial factors you’ve got to take into account if you want to get your startup started. There’s a lot of work involved, and you need to make sure you make the right decisions now. It’s crucial to get your company off on the right foot, and hit the ground running, and these will help you to achieve that.

It’s no secret that many companies are offering financial services to others. For example, some firms specialise in wealth management while others deal with hedge funds. There is plenty of choice in the market and an equal amount of demand too.

Are you a financial guru? If so, you will no doubt wish to set up a business to help others realise their financial goals. Sure, you may have a unique selling point and will have no issue making a profit with what you do.

But, how do you go about starting a business? And how can you remain compliant with the FCA? Today’s handy guide will tell you more about what you need to know.

Registering your business

The first thing you must do is register your business. You need to complete this important step before you can start trading. When you register your firm, you will get issued a tax ID and have to start filling in tax returns.

Of course, it makes sense to let an accountant handle that side of things for you. That way, you can concentrate on running your business and growing it.

Insurance

As with any business, it’s crucial that you choose the right insurance products for your firm. At a low level, you will need professional indemnity and public liability cover. You may also need extra cover if you hire people. Also, you may have to get industry-specific insurance.

There are many insurance providers out there. A simple Google search will reveal the best ones to select for quotes.

Premises

You might get tempted to work from home, and that’s fine. But, I wouldn’t recommend advertising your home address. Instead, either lease some office space or pay for a “virtual mailbox” address.

The former option is better because it portrays a more professional image. Also, it means that you can receive visitors more easily.

Advice and FCA compliance

During those early stages, it’s crucial you get the right advice to get FCA compliance. I recommend talking to a company that offers FCA umbrella services. They have the industry knowledge and skills that you may lack during these early stages.

They can keep you on the right track and give you the benefit of their industry experience. There is nothing wrong with asking for help and advice when setting up a business. In fact, it’s unusual to “go it alone”!

Marketing

Assuming you are ready to start your business, you now need one thing: clients! Without them, your firm won’t make any money and will soon have to close.

Obviously you want to avoid closing your business before it has even had a chance to start! Marketing is essential for any business to grow, and is a must for yours too.

The good news is that business marketing doesn’t have to cost the Earth. You can achieve an online presence without spending a lot. And there are plenty of affordable offline options as well.

If you’re looking for a major career break, why not look to the largest industry on the planet? Agriculture is the oldest, richest business on earth. And, far from being outdated, you’ll find some of the best modern technology and concepts here. It’s not just about dairy farming or rearing animals. Think about our entire approach to food in the 21st century. There’s a huge drive towards organic, and healthy alternative foods. It’s an enormous market, and there are endless opportunities for the smart entrepreneur. Continue reading “Start a business in the world’s largest industry: agriculture”

Categories

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.